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* [[Fred Dean]], [[National Football League|NFL]] Hall of Fame, attended Ruston High and Louisiana Tech
* [[Fred Dean]], [[National Football League|NFL]] Hall of Fame, attended Ruston High and Louisiana Tech
* [[Hollis Downs]] retiring state representative; financial analyst; Louisiana Tech professor
* [[Hollis Downs]] retiring state representative; financial analyst; Louisiana Tech professor
* [[John Dooley]] sex with Tristie Miller; Louisiana Tech grad; grown ass man
* [[John Dooley]] Louisiana Tech grad; grown ass man
* [[Wiley W. Hilburn]], journalist and author
* [[Wiley W. Hilburn]], journalist and author
* [[Berry Hinton]], baseball coach and Louisiana Tech alumni secretary
* [[Berry Hinton]], baseball coach and Louisiana Tech alumni secretary

Revision as of 22:57, 10 November 2011

Template:Geobox

Ruston water tower off Interstate 20
Behind City Hall is the Ruston Civic Center.
Chase Bank is located across from the Ruston City Hall (2010).
Glimpse of downtown Ruston
Large T.L. James Construction Company is based in downtown Ruston.
Restored historic fire station in downtown Ruston
First Baptist Church in downtown Ruston
Large Temple Baptist Church is located on the south side of Interstate 20 near the Louisiana Tech University exit.
Presbyterian Church of Ruston
The longstanding Dixie Theater in Ruston offers some first-run films as well as community events.
Large Greenwood Cemetery in Ruston has graves from the American Civil War era and is the resting place of Robert Edwin Russ, the founder of Ruston.
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is located west of Ruston off U.S. Highway 80.

Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States.Template:GR The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population. Ruston in known throughout the northern portions of the state as the home for the annual Squire Creek Peach Festival.

Ruston is the principal city of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Lincoln and Jackson parishes. The current mayor is Dan Hollingsworth.

Geography

Ruston is located at 32°31′47″N 92°38′26″W / 32.52972°N 92.64056°W / 32.52972; -92.64056Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (32.529674, -92.640466)Template:GR and has an elevation of 331 feet (100.9 m)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.2 square miles (47 km2), of which, 18.1 square miles (47 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (0.44%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 20,546 people, 7,621 households, and 4,244 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,136.4 people per square mile (438.8/km²). There were 8,397 housing units at an average density of 464.5 per square mile (179.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.94% White, 38.92% African American, 0.17% Native American, 2.41% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.

There were 7,621 households out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.3% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population consisted of 20.8% under the age of 18, 31.6% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 14.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24.0 years, far below the state median age of 34.0 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,001, and the median income for a family was $37,394. Males had a median income of $33,408 versus $20,413 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,573. About 22.1% of families and 32.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.1% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Louisiana Tech - Enrollment of 11,710 in 2005. Doctoral institution focusing on technical and professional disciplines.

Louisiana Center for the Blind - Training center for blind teenagers and adults operated by the National Federation of the Blind

Culture and Recreation

Most cultural activities are offered by Louisiana Tech. There are many shops downtown that one can visit. There are many restaurants chains and the new eight-screen Celebrity Theater has increased the level of activities in the city of Ruston. Other university-based opportunities exist at Grambling (6 miles) and Monroe (35 miles). Northern Louisiana is largely rural and does not offer the amenities of an urban center.

Early in 2007, the City initiated a plan that will serve as a blueprint for Ruston’s future growth and development. Community engagement resulted in a set of core principles reflecting citizens’ shared values and beliefs. These guiding principles will provide the blueprint for future City projects and initiatives; all planning activities will be designed to ensure that we reach the unifying goals and objectives of our community.

“Ruston 21 will evaluate the assets we have, what we want our community to be, and ways to achieve our goals. It will look citywide at residential development and neighborhoods, recreation planning, transportation issues, economic development, infrastructure concerns, our quality of life, and working collaboratively with Louisiana Tech University,” said Mayor Dan Hollingsworth.

History

During the Reconstruction era following the Civil War, word soon reached the young parish near what is now Ruston, that the Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific Railroad would begin to run across north Louisiana, linking the Deep South with the West. Robert Edwin Russ, the Lincoln Parish sheriff from 1877–1880, donated 640 acres (2.6 km2) to the town and this area was eventually known as Ruston (shorthand for Russ town).[1]

In 1883, commercial and residential lots were created and sold for $375 a piece; and soon the sawing of lumber and clacking of hammers could be heard throughout the area.

As the town began to take shape, new churches, businesses, civic organizations and schools were being established. Cotton farming fueled the economy and in 1900 a second railroad, running north and south, was built through Ruston. This brought even more business and industry to the area and the population continued to provide a foundation for the local economy. By the outbreak of World War I in 1917, Ruston was well established as a center for learning, a place of civic pride and as an area of economic prosperity throughout the region.

Ruston continued to grow steadily during the post-war prosperity of the late 1940s. The GI Bill of Rights, which sent war veterans to college, helped fuel the local economy, causing tremendous growth at the local universities and brought many new families to Ruston . By the late 1950s, it was decided that a new interstate highway was to be built that would run through the northern fringe of the city. Completed by the early 1970s this coast-to-coast highway made Ruston more easily accessible, much as the railroad had done a century before. In the 1980s, the state of Louisiana economy slowed down as the oil industry went into a recession.

Ruston, however, continued growing steadily because of the rapid expansion of Louisiana Tech. The city also had its centennial celebration during this decade, and emphasis was placed on revitalizing the historic downtown district. A joint effort between the city and the Louisiana Main Street Program and the Louisiana Department of Historic Preservation brought forth beautification projects to restore the historic downtown district. More than fifteen historic buildings have been placed on the National Register and has helped draw the community closer to its roots. The city now has a new general aviation airport to serve existing business and industry, and the timber, poultry and cattle industries continue to expand. The universities have achieved unparalleled success in many fields.

National Guard

527th Engineer Battalion (Triple Alpha) ("Anything, Anytime, Anywhere") is headquartered in Ruston. This battalion is part of the 225th Engineer Brigade of the Louisiana National Guard.

Pop culture references

  • Ruston is the hometown of Kenny Wright, 9 year NFL DB.(Minnesota Vikings 1999-2001, Houston Texans 2002-2004, Jacksonville Jaguars 2005, Washington Redskins 2006, and Cleveland Browns 2007)
  • Jack Kerouac refers to Ruston in his book On the Road.
  • Ruston is the hometown of Jeff Mangum, frontman of the indie band Neutral Milk Hotel. He attended Ruston High School and was a disc jockey at Louisiana Tech's radio station KLPI.
  • Ruston is also the hometown of Robert Schneider, front man of Apples In Stereo. He attended Ruston High School.
  • Ruston is the hometown of country western singer Owen Perry. In October 2010 he retired in Ruston.
  • The longstanding Dixie Theater in Ruston is featured in a 1999 article in the publication North Louisiana History.[2]
  • Ruston is mentioned several times in the HBO series True Blood. A vampire on the series was wearing a Louisiana Tech Bulldog sweatshirt.

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "Robert E. Russ". lahistory.org. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  2. ^ Erin Toler, "The Dixie Theater of Ruston," North Louisiana History, Vol. 30, No. 1 (Winter 1999), pp. 3-15
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